Regular season finale a
winnerStuart ties game late with a pair of
goals4/4/04 - by Mike Lee

The
Sharks regular season finale on Sunday was a meaningless contest to them and
the visiting Los Angeles Kings. At least that's what it appeared to be for 59
minutes of regulation. That all changed in the blink on an eye, after Brad
Stuart scored two goals in the final 20 seconds of the 3rd period to help pull
the Sharks back from a 3-1 deficit. After Stuart tied the game with 2.3 seconds
remaining in regulation, Vincent Damphousse capped another improbable Sharks
comeback with an overtime goal to cap an incomprehensible season.

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As San Jose prepares for a first round date with the St
Louis Blues, the Kings prepare for the golf links, having been eliminated from
the playoff race a week ago. San Jose appeared to be resolved with a two goal
loss as the regular season ticked into oblivion, but the hockey gods shined
down during the afternoon affair with a little divine intervention.

Stuart would score his first of the game on a slapshot from the slot with 20
seconds left in the 3rd after Luc Robitaille was sent off for holding and
Sharks head coach Ron Wilson pulled Evgeni Nabokov. Stuart's shot squeezed
through Roman Chechmanek's pads as several players converged on the net.

The goal cut the Kings lead to 3-2, but with only a few ticks
remaining on the clock, the Sharks looked poorly positioned to do anything
about it.

San Jose would change that position by winning the ensuing
faceoff at center ice and dumping the puck into the LA zone. Tom Preissing made
a game saving play by lunging to keep a Kings clearing attempt in the zone.
Alyn McCauley then chipped the puck up to Damphousse as the Kings scrambled to
get to the puck. Damphousse surveyed the ice for a second before sending a
laser pass to the top of the crease. Two Kings defenders setup to defend a pass
to the far post where Nils Ekman was parked, but Stuart pinched in at the last
moment and redirected the puck past Chechmanek.

The arena erupted and
a typically reserved Stuart let out a howl and pumped his fist after knotting
the game at 3-3.

Both teams exchanged scoring chances in the overtime
period before Damphousse ended things with a wrist shot from ten feet out. The
veteran centerman grabbed a loose puck near the right dot as he skated toward
the glass. He did a quick 180 then raced in on Chechmanek as the Kings defense
appeared to freeze on the play. The Kings goaltender had no choice but to
challenge Damphousse, but the shot snapped inside the left post.

Chechmanek and his stunned teammates scurried off the ice as the Sharks mobbed
Damphousse.

Kings head coach Andy Murray had to be banging his head
against the dressing room wall after his teamed coughed up a two goal lead that
late in the game.

The Kings scored three straight after Alexander
Korolyuk bagged his 19th of the season early in the 1st period.

Nathan
Dempsey got on the score sheet first for LA midway through the opening period
by one-timing a Esa Pirnes shot past Evgeni Nabokov from the slot. Pirnes
picked Stuart's pocket behind the Sharks net then setup Dempsey from behind the
right post.

After a scoreless 2nd period, Jaroslav Modry made it 2-1
six minutes into the 3rd with a rocket from the bottom of the left circle.
Modry fooled Wayne Primeau with a fake shot from along the left wing boards,
then raced up the ice, before uncorking a shot that nailed the upper right
corner of the net.

John Tripp would push the Kings lead to 3-1 by
snapping a face off draw past Nabokov at 13:22 of the period.

Play of the GameIt doesn't get much more
exciting than a game tying goals with 2.3 seconds remaining in regulation 17
seconds after you just scored to pull your team to within a goal. Stuart's
heroics make Jonathan Cheechoo's rabbit out the hat goals in Dallas two weeks
ago seem like a second rate achievement in the thriller department. It makes
you wonder if the Sharks are on the verge of pulling off one of the biggest
magic tricks in NHL history or if they've used up all their magic this
season.

The Turning PointAside from Stuart's first goal, the
play that Preissing made to keep the play alive as time ticked down to under 10
seconds in regulation is one of those unheralded achievements that brought the
Sharks back from the dead.

Save of the
GameChechmanek was hung out to dry by his defense in the last
minute of regulation and most of overtime. He actually delayed the Sharks
comeback by making a highlight reel stop on Patrick Marleau with just under a
minute to play in the 3rd. Marleau took a cross ice pass from Damphousse as he
was parked on the Kings doorstep all alone. Chechmanek was able to adjust and
throw his glove out in time to stone Marleau's one

Box Scores Do No
JusticeUnder all the pandemonium and heroics was a Sharks special teams
unit that went two for three on the power play and two for two on the penalty
kill. Success in the playoffs is largely dictated by how successful a team is
on special teams play, so the Sharks 15th ranked power play and 7th ranked
penalty kill will be put to the test.

Honorable MentionAs fans bounced up and down
after the game winner and the Sharks streamed onto the ice, a record holder
quietly made what could have been his final NHL appearance. Kings forward Luc
Robitaille, the highest-scoring left wing in NHL history with 653 goals and
1,370 points, is uncertain if he'll be playing next season. With the pending
labor dispute on the horizon, Robitaille is an unrestricted free agent and the
Kings have not made a decision on what they'll do with the veteran forward. In
what may have been his final gesture as a player, Robitaille skated over to the
scorer's table after the game and shook hands with the on-ice officiating crew,
before heading off the ice.

Quotables"That's sort of the way
we've done it all season: We find a lot of ways to surprise you. We're not a
surprise to ourselves, though. Nobody has really expected us to do much all
year, but as long as we're confident in this room, that's all that matters." -
Brad Stuart

"There wasn't much at stake for both clubs, but we did
what we needed to do. I think we were waiting for Thursday to step it up, but
we got started with this one." - Vincent Damphousse

"It's been the
story of our team the whole season to not give up. When everyone thinks we're
out of the game or out of the season, we find a way to bounce back." - Sharks
head coach Ron Wilson

"It just rips your heart out. To not be in the
playoffs and then to have this last game go like this is tough. ... I'm kind of
numb right now as you can imagine." - Kings head coach Andy Murray

"I
want to come back, it's just circumstances I can't control. We'll see what's
going to happen with that, but I know I have one more good year in me. ... I
don't think it'd be a problem with the Kings, but there's the labor agreement.
Those are the factors for me, but I want to play one more year. I don't want it
to end like this." - Luc Robitaille

MilestonesThe Sharks finished the season without
losing consecutive games at home.

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